5 WAYS TRAVEL CHANGES YOU

Travel has many positives; one of the main things is that it exposes you to new and exciting things you would have never experienced at home. In addition, travel does something more life changing; it has the power to change you as person for the better.

Below are the 5 ways Travel changes you. Enjoy! :-)

(1) Better Perspective

Whatever you are going through. Travel is sure to fix it and give you a little bit more perspective. What may seem like a large challenge will start to look small once you take in your travel experiences and meet more people.

In addition, it’s always great to have your views of the world be challenged and tested. This then makes you more open and more able to see things from another point of view.

(2) Having More Flexibility, Tolerance and Patience

When travelling, things do not always go according to plan. It doesn’t matter how well organised your itinerary may be, things can sometimes go off course. This isn’t always a bad thing. Through such experiences you may discover a new part of a city that you have never heard of. You may even meet and connect with amazing people you would have never met. By having these experiences you will find yourself slowly embracing the spontaneity of life.

Sometimes it is necessary to be taken out of routine and out of your comfort zone. Once you do that, you learn something new and exciting about yourself and the World around you. So try to have patience when things don’t go according to plan. You never know what good fortune may come out of it.

(3) More Knowledgeable

Travel fills in the gaps of knowledge. We all have a deep desire to explore the unknown. Once you begin your journey to explore and get satisfaction from learning something new on your adventure, your thirst for knowledge will grow even more.

If you have always wanted to see an elephant in real life in its habitat, go see it. If you have always wanted to have proper British fish and chips, go do it. It is all part of the learning experience and your personal development.

When you are in a social situation you will be able to confidently share your knowledge with people and maybe inspire someone else to go on an adventure.

(4) Travel Makes Your Happier

Travel makes you a happier person by helping you to start appreciating the little things. When you take in an epic view you start to realise that you play a very small part in the vast universe.  And once you realise that, you will think more about the present and embrace and appreciate the little things.

Travel  also enables you to realise how huge and diverse the World is and reminds us to be grateful for who we are and what we have.

(5) Travel Boosts Confidence

Travel makes you a better person overall. If you struggle with self-confidence you will get a life-long boost of confidence when you go on adventure, face your fears and immerse yourself in the moment. Through this, it puts you on a journey to discovering your true self and achieving self-acceptance.

TOP 10 FESTIVAL HACKS

Festival season is upon us. Epic music festivals will be happening all over the World. In the spirit of that we decided to share with you our Top 10 Festival Hacks. See below. Enjoy! :-)

(1) Make your tent stand out

Make a huge flag to attach right next to your tent (it could be a huge beach towel attached to a nearby pole). Alternatively you can attach really bright balloons to your tent so you will be easily able to find your tent.  If you can’t be bothered with the extras, try and get a really colourful tent that helps you stand out from the crowd.

(2) Pick a spot

Try to get to the festival as early as you can so you can claim your spot. Make sure it is a spot that is on higher ground. This is to protect your tent and other stuff from getting flooded if it rains heavily. In addition, pick a spot close to something that is memorable so you and your friends can use that spot as a checkpoint just in case you lose each other in the crowds.

(3) Keep some emergency cash

Not all the shops and food stores in the festival grounds will accept credit cards, so just in case have some cash hidden in your phone case. This hack will also help you to avoid waiting for hours in a queue to use the cash machine.

(4) Bring a reusable water bottle

Bring a reusable water bottle. Bottled water can be so expensive at festivals and you are going to need water to stay hydrated. So to save some money bring a reusable water bottle so you can fill it up at the taps that will be available.  Also, remember that you will be on your feet a lot of the time so there will be times you will be hungry. As a quick solution, bring snack bars, nuts and bananas.

(5) Carry your Anti-Theft Backpack

Having your anti-theft backpack will always help in keeping your stuff safe from theft and loss while you are out and about enjoying the music and getting lost in the crowds.  This will be very useful for those that don’t want to leave certain important things behind in their tent.

(6) Toilets

The queues for festival toilets can be really long, so locate the nearest restaurants and cafes near to the festival and go there instead. Some of the local businesses nearby will have toilets. Due to the fact that you will have your festival wristband, you will be able to come and go as you please. This will give you the opportunity to use the toilet in a less crowded and cleaner environment.

(7) Use Airplane Mode

Setting your smartphone to airplane mode will help your battery save more energy, especially while you are using Snapchat and taking pictures. You will still be able to upload all your snaps and images to social media once you are connected to the Internet. Remember to save that battery energy.

Please Note: Don’t forget to bring a battery pack for your phone.

 (8) Carry a pillowcase

Carrying a pillow will take up too much space in your luggage.  You can simply make a pillow by stuffing a lot of your clothes into your pillowcase and…voila! You have a pillow.

(9) Carry a rubbish phone

By having a non-smartphone (that only calls and texts) you can use that phone as a back-up/emergency phone just in case your smartphone runs out of battery and you need to call your friends or home.

(10) Leave Early

Make sure you wake up really early so you can pack all your stuff and leave the location before it gets extremely crowded with everyone trying to leave. Try and make a swift escape.

TOP 5 SAFETY TRAVEL APPS

Travelling to another part of the World is exciting. However, it is always important to stay safe and keep in mind your personal security while you are having fun. While you are travelling, situations may arise unexpectedly that may be out of your control and it doesn’t hurt to be prepared just in case. As we all know, summer is fast approaching and we know that a lot of you guys will be travelling this summer. To help you get prepared, we wanted to give you some useful tools to help you stay safe so we listed our top 5 safety travel apps to help you on your journey.  See below. Enjoy! :-)

(1)    ICE

While on vacation a medical situation may arise. They can be unexpected and it is best to be prepared as much as you can. The ICE app is a very useful tool if such situations arise. The app keeps details about your medical conditions, your insurance information and your doctor's direct contact details. It can also be accessed even if your phone is locked. Everyone should have this app all the time. The app also comes in a number of different languages.

(2)   Tripit

This app enables you to track your itinerary. You can also share your itinerary with your family and friends so they are also aware of your plans and be reassured of your safety. This is useful for just in case you forget or can’t pronounce the name of your destination. 

(3)   iTranslate

This is a dictionary and translation app. It can easily translate texts in over 90 languages. It can also translate your voice phrases. Absolutely genius! Not being able to speak the local language can make you very vulnerable so this app is a powerful tool in empowering you as a tourist and gives you a lot more confidence in navigating the country that you are visiting. Also, if you are in a risky situation and cannot speak the local language the app will help a lot in assisting you in the situation.

(4)   Companion

This app acts like a guardian angel. The app lets your friends and family know that you are on your journey. All you have to do is enter your destination and select your contacts to be your Companions. They don’t even have to have the app installed.  These companions anywhere in the World will see a live map of your progress. It alerts your friends and family and lets them know if something happens to you so they can take action. It’s a great app that puts you at ease and also puts your friends and family at ease wherever you are in the World.

(5) Safeture

The app provides real-time status on warnings, alerts and security. The app automatically filters warnings and information to you based on your location or your travel destination. The Safeture app has for a number of years provided international businesses and Government organisations with travel security. The app also provides you with emergency information and updates quickly on events that may affect your travel plans and well-being.